-
The Black Death arrives in Europe when 12 Genoese trading ships dock at Messina, Sicily, bringing the plague with them. -
The plague spreads across mainland Italy, Spain, and France, and reaches England, Germany, and Austria. -
The plague spreads rapidly through the Mediterranean, affecting cities in Italy, France, and Spain.
-
The plague triggers anti-Semitic violence in Europe, with the first major massacre of a Jewish community in Provence, France.
-
The plague enters England via the port of Melcombe Regis in Dorset, with escapees helping to spread it inland. -
The plague spreads through much of Europe, reaching Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and the Low Countries.
-
While the peak mortality rate occurs during these years, the plague continues its spread to other areas like Russia. -
The plague arrives in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries.
-
The plague has killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe, or roughly one-third of the continent's population.
-
By this year, the Black Death has spread across almost the entire European continent. -
why is the black plague significant?
- The Black Plague is important because it caused profound social, economic, and cultural shifts that helped end the Middle Ages and pave the way for the Renaissance and the modern world. -
SOURCES: History.com and Britannica.com
-
What happened? How did the Black Plague start?
- It was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, carried by fleas on infected rodents like the black rat, which spread the disease to humans through bites or by moving to human hosts after a rat died.